


Vanishing Act

by HissHex



Series: PeterMartin Week 2020 [1]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, Peter doesn't ask first but Martin is very into whats happening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27471694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HissHex/pseuds/HissHex
Summary: Day 1 of PeterMartin week - ConcealmentMartin wanders the halls of the Institute. Invisible to all but Peter.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Peter Lukas
Series: PeterMartin Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2007181
Kudos: 16





	Vanishing Act

Wandering through the ever-winding halls of the Institute, Martin watched as co-workers he had spent years chatting with, making friends with, didn’t even notice he was there.

It wasn’t their fault. Not really. They couldn’t exactly be expected to see through the fog of the Lonely, they may be bound to a temple of the Eye, but that meant very little for the average worker here.

Peter preferred it when Martin stayed in his office, out of the way of the temptation to speak to others, but Martin could only look at the same four walls for so long before he felt like he was going to loose it all together.

The only place he didn’t wander was the Archives. No one else in this building might be able to see Martin, even Jon, but if he stepped in the Archives themselves he somehow knew that Jon would be able to tell he was there and he wasn’t in the mood for the hassle of an argument right now.

He sat in the library for about an hour, willfully ignoring all of Peter’s paperwork that the older man had shifted onto him. Not a soul noticed he was there as he watched them going about their day. He actually had fun, messing with people’s books and notes. He was watching in horror as one of the new librarians put her cold cup of tea in the microwave, something he hadn’t been forced to watch since his first week in the Archives, when he felt a heavy hand fall to his shoulder.

“Hello Martin! Shouldn’t you be working? The Institute isn’t going to run itself you know.”

“Yes Peter, but _I_ am not the Head of the Institute am I. You have a stack of papers on your desk that I need you to sign off on.” Peter sighed, probably at the thought of having to do any actual work here. 

Martin turned to look at him. Despite their chat, no one seemed to have noticed them. He  chalked that up to Peter’s presence more than his own burgeoning isolation. 

Peter was the only one who saw him these days, he stalk the halls of the Institute all day and nobody would even notice he was there. It soothed the harsh edges of his (almost) self-imposed isolation. The days where he would spend so long in his office that it would start to remind him of spending those long days alone in his flat with Jane Prentiss knocking at the door every hour of the day.  On those days Peter’s presence was a welcome relief. 

On Peter’s gentle nudge, he let the older man lead him out of the library and back to his office. He half-listened to Peter’s cheerful nattering. Martin was pretty sure it was something to do with how much better working on the Tundra was compared to the Institute. He didn’t know why Peter was bothering, if he wanted Martin to go on the Tundra then Martin was going, whether he liked it or not. 

The stopped in the front entrance of the building, Peter having business out of the Institute today. Peter pulled them both into the Lonely, the world turning foggy and pale. Martin knew they hadn’t been pulled fully in since he could see the busy employees of the Institute surrounding them. Peter slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in. 

“Peter?”

“You’ve been doing so well Martin. Maybe you could do with a reward.”

Martin gave a thought that he should say no. He liked Peter, sure, but this seemed a little much. Before he could formulate a good reason why this was a terrible idea, Peter’s cool lips were pressing into his own. 

He could push Peter away, he was even reasonably sure that Peter would move away if he did so. 

On the other hand, it was a very pleasant kiss and it had been quite some time since Martin had done anything of the sort with anyone. He kissed back, feeling Peter’s smug smirk as he did so, obviously pleased with Martin’s reciprocation. 

P eter pulled back, and the look on his face reminded Martin why he sometimes couldn’t stand the man. He patted Martin in the shoulder again and vanished out the front door of the Institute. The grip of the Lonely faded and Martin pulled what little of it he could control around himself as he made his way back to his office. 

Nobody saw him. 

His office was cold and quiet except for the click and whirr of a tape recorder starting up. He sighed, he was lonely and he did want to talk to someone.

But it wasn’t the recorder, it wasn’t Jon who he wished was there

He imagined arms wrapped around him and ever so cold breath whispering promises of safety into his ear. He dreamt of eyes slipping away from him and the smell of salt-water. 

He dreamt of Peter. 


End file.
